Chapter 683
Night Raid Strategy
Faced with the Qi army's retreat directly to the Zishan garrison, the Han army did not pursue them. This was because He Pan had instructed Du Hong that the Han army's primary task was to repair the dikes, and there was no need to create unnecessary trouble; therefore, defeating the enemy was sufficient. Although there was no major battle between the two sides, the Duke of Longxi had already achieved the effect of demoralizing the enemy with two consecutive victories, and thus could return to report.
When Liu Lang returned to his base, he was warmly welcomed by the soldiers of the three armies.
This is understandable. People are used to seeing fierce battles between generals on the battlefield, but this time was different. The one who stepped forward to duel wasn't some low-ranking officer or vassal, but the eldest son of the King of Han. It's important to understand that with the declining status of soldiers, it's extremely rare for generals to share the hardships with their troops, let alone risk their lives in a duel. Yet Liu Lang not only took the initiative but also slew two generals, sparing the soldiers a battle. The soldiers' respect and admiration for him are beyond words.
It's unclear who first uttered it, but a slogan quickly spread among the Han army. Eventually, wherever Liu Lang went, everyone would sing in unison: "Lord of Longxi, drawing his longbow, the enemy flees like the wind from afar!"
In this atmosphere, Du Hong, who had been worried about Liu Lang, could not say anything. Seeing that Liu Lang had returned safely without any injuries, he first breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time felt a sincere appreciation. He patted Liu Lang on the shoulder and said, "If Your Highness wants to go into battle, you should at least tell me. Victory or defeat is not important. The main thing is to let me be prepared. Otherwise, if one thing happens, it will affect the whole situation, and I will not be able to deal with it in time."
He didn't blame Liu Lang after all, not because he was afraid of offending anyone. Du Hong, as a general of the Xiangdong Army, was originally a bandit. He admired heroes who dared to fight one-on-one. Liu Lang was so young yet had such good martial arts skills, which made him happy and admiring.
When the news reached He Pan, he was furious. He immediately convened a military council and criticized Liu Lang in public without any politeness: "Fool! You like to fight and brawl. What's the difference between you and a brute? No matter how brave you are, can you compare to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei? Even Guan Yu and Zhang Fei couldn't change the course of the battle! As a general, you must use strategy to defeat the enemy unless absolutely necessary!"
Having said that, he ordered Liu Lang to take off his outer garment in public on the grounds that Liu Lang had violated military discipline, and then personally whipped Liu Lang forty times, each lash leaving bloody welts.
Liu Lang, young and impetuous, was naturally very unconvinced, but he knew that arguing was pointless, so he gritted his teeth and remained silent, enduring the forty lashes. After dressing, he glared at He Pan, thinking to himself: What's so special about strategy? I'm skilled in both literature and martial arts, much better than you, relying on your age.
Young people are like that, full of youthful vigor and always concerned with their immediate feelings. While Liu Lang was sulking, he completely forgot that he had just met He Pan and greatly admired him. Fortunately, Green Pearl often taught Liu Lang not to speak ill of others, so he simply stood aside with his head down, thinking about it, without saying a word.
He Pan had seen this many times before. He knew Liu Lang was upset, but he didn't take it to heart. Some things, no matter how much parents teach, are ineffective, let alone for an outsider like him. Only through personal growth and experience can a young person truly transform themselves. In this respect, He Pan admired Liu Lang, because although he came from a noble family, he never took his anger out on others, but instead restrained himself, striving to prove himself—a truly gifted individual.
He Pan stopped paying attention to Liu Lang and instead discussed the battle. The Qi army's retreat after losing a duel was unexpected. They discussed the Qi people's possible next move, and everyone's first thought was that the Qi people were already afraid of fighting and would likely not choose to confront the enemy head-on again. Therefore, the Qi people either had to retreat directly or choose another method of warfare.
Retreat was the choice everyone hoped the Qi people would make, but it seemed absurd that they would retreat after making a grand show of force, traveling hundreds of miles, just because of a single defeat in a duel. Therefore, after discussion, most people believed that the Qi people would likely make a detour to Huainan to harass the area. Even if they couldn't capture the city, they would at least abduct some civilians. This was probably the simplest and most satisfactory solution.
This was largely in line with He Pan's prior assessment, and it was something he didn't want to see.
It should be understood that, from a historical and geographical perspective, the best routes for the Chu people to launch a northern expedition into the Central Plains during the Warring States period were twofold: one was to advance north from Nanyang into Yan and Yu, and the other was to attack Qi and Lu via Huainan. If Huainan, as a forward base for the northern expedition, were to be hollowed out by the Qi people, it would resemble the situation of Cao Cao and Liu Bei fighting for Hanzhong. Even if they gained territory, it would be undeveloped land, and it would take an unknown amount of time to stabilize the situation and reopen supply lines for the advance.
Therefore, instead of waiting passively, it is better to take the initiative.
He Pan had been pondering this matter for the past few days, but he couldn't make a decision because he didn't know the strength of the Qi people. Seeing that the Han army still had the upper hand in this battle, he felt more confident and asked everyone, "If we cross the Huai River and launch a surprise attack on the Qi camp, does anyone dare to fight?"
Although the exact number of Qi troops is unknown, He Pan estimates that it shouldn't exceed the total number of Han troops, nor be significantly less. However, the Han army possesses the advantage of a navy. While the Huai River isn't like the Yangtze, preventing large warships from freely navigating it, large warships are still sufficient to dominate the river. If the Han army were to cross the Huai River first by boat and launch a night attack on the Qi army's camp, the Qi would certainly be caught off guard, potentially achieving a considerable victory. Even if unsuccessful, such a lesson would likely deter the Qi army from risking being outflanked by a large-scale crossing of the Huai River, leaving them pinned down and forced to either launch a frontal assault or retreat.
After listening to the marshal's strategy, everyone looked at each other and discussed it, all finding it very reasonable. Even Liu Lang, upon hearing it, forgot the pain of being whipped earlier and secretly praised him in his heart: "Lord He is indeed shrewd and insightful; he saw through the Qi people's weakness at a glance."
The Qi army's resolve for this battle was weak to begin with, and their primary motivation was preserving their strength. From this perspective, for the Qi army, Huainan was merely neighboring territory, while Huaibei was their own land. If the Han army were to initiate an attack on Huaibei, the Qi would certainly be more inclined to defend Huaibei than to risk everything for Wang Yan and others in Huainan. He Pan's strategy can be said to perfectly align with the principles of adapting to the situation and seizing the initiative.
However, the crossing of the Huai River would be a surprise attack, and the number of troops involved would certainly be small, otherwise the Qi people would definitely discover it. In that case, even with the advantage of the navy, attacking a large enemy with a small force would still be a difficult task, and only a general with both wisdom and courage could be in charge.
He Pan understood this principle, of course. He looked at the generals and saw that Du Hong, Guo Song, Meng Tao, Zhang Qi, and Liu Lang were all eager to try. He then tested them and asked, "If you were to launch a night raid, how could you disturb the enemy and make them afraid to fight?"
Guo Song was the first to react, and he replied, "Why not split our forces into two groups, one openly and one covertly? One group should openly attack, regardless of whether the Qi people discover us or not. This way, we will surely draw away the main force of the Qi people."
"The other route will secretly detour upstream. It is currently the season when the westerly winds are strong and the weather is dry. We will set fire to the upstream area, and the fire will quickly become uncontrollable. The enemy will naturally be thrown into chaos. At that time, our army will charge and fight. No matter how many battles we achieve, the Qi people will not know what happened and we will be able to retreat safely."
"This plan is very meticulous," He Pan nodded, smiling as he praised Guo Song, "Governor Guo is indeed a strategist! No wonder our king values him so highly at such a young age." He Pan's praise was indeed fitting. Among the current governors of the various provinces under the Han army, Guo Song was the youngest, only twenty-seven years old. Although he was appointed governor of the most remote Jiao Province and had not yet had the chance to take up his post, his bright future was widely known.
But Du Hong was not convinced. He had not made any contributions in the daytime battle, so he wanted to seize this opportunity. He then said, "Grand Commandant, it is better to cut off one finger than to injure all ten."
"Since Xu Kan and Su Jun have crossed the river, I think we should first destroy the pontoon bridge that the Qi people are using to cross the river under cover of night. At the same time, we should lead our troops to attack Zishan Garrison. The morale of the enemy army has been broken, and Zishan Garrison cannot accommodate them. They can only set up camp at the foot of the mountain. If we cut off their external support, they will most likely be unable to resist. After swallowing these 10,000 people, the Qi people will surely be terrified and dare not have the idea of crossing the Huai River again."
Upon hearing Du Hong's plan, He Pan's eyes lit up, and he praised with a smile, "General Du's idea is very unique! How did you come up with that?!"
“This is what I thought of when I read the Book of Poetry.” Du Hong recited, swaying his head: “The southern mountains are lofty, the male fox is leisurely. The road to Lu is winding, the Qi prince returns home.”
This saying originates from the "Nanshan" section of the "Qi Feng" (Airs of Qi), a folk song recounting the scandalous affair between Duke Xiang of Qi and his sister Wen Jiang. When Duke Xiang was still the crown prince, he committed incest with his sister Wen Jiang. Upon learning of this, his father, Duke Xi of Qi, hastily married Wen Jiang to Duke Huan of Lu, the ruler of a neighboring state. However, as soon as Duke Xiang ascended the throne, he immediately sought out Wen Jiang again for an affair and even murdered his brother-in-law, Duke Huan. This incident, occurring in the Qi and Lu regions renowned for their strict adherence to Confucian ethics, is undeniably ironic.
Du Hong drew this connection and analyzed, "The people of Qi have always been fickle and driven by greed. Their retreat after suffering a small loss today is merely a facade; they are actually planning to fight again. Grand Commandant, if we don't teach them a bigger lesson, the people of Qi will never give up."
However, this remark drew laughter from everyone. Du Hong's thoughts were wandering too far; he was connecting events from nearly a thousand years ago to the present day—it was purely judging character based on birthplace! It was utterly unrefined. He Pan couldn't help but chuckle, saying humorously, "General Du, your reading is truly remarkable! You have the air of Lü Meng!"
That being said, the plan was still a good one. The others, including Liu Lang, thought that Guo Song and Du Tao's plan was better than their own. They exchanged glances and wisely kept quiet, not wanting to embarrass themselves in public.
But He Pan still had to make a choice. After a moment's thought, he decided, "The most urgent task is to repair the dikes. I can't spare too many troops. General Du's plan is good, but without 20,000 to 30,000 men, it will be difficult to succeed. I don't want to cause any more trouble, so let's use Governor Guo's plan."
He Pan then gave Guo Song 5,000 men and 100 warships, putting Guo Song in full charge of the night raid. The other units continued to perform their duties, repairing earthen ramparts and dikes to ensure the water attack could proceed smoothly.
Liu Lang originally intended to volunteer for the night raid, but He Pan quickly rejected his request, telling him to stay in Beishan Garrison to recuperate and guard the Han army camp east of the city.
The meeting concluded, and Liu Lang returned to his camp, where he remained rather sullen for several days. His garrison at Beishan Garrison was located in a large pine forest in Bagong Mountain. The forest was lush and evergreen, even in winter, but a flock of noisy crows would cackle incessantly every night, causing considerable annoyance. So, with nothing else to do, Liu Lang simply took his bow and arrows and ventured into the forest. Within a few days, he had shot down dozens of crows, scaring them all away and bringing some peace back.
During this time, Guo Song was still sending scouts to survey the terrain of Huaibei and pondering the details of the night raid plan, so he did not launch a rash attack. The other soldiers were also busy piling earth to build dams and driving piles and tamping stones. Only Liu Lang's troops were somewhat idle, which made him even more irritable after he had some peace and quiet.
That night, the westerly wind howled fiercely again, making the woods rustle and the treetops sway from side to side. Then a misty rain began to fall, with small hailstones mixed in with the raindrops, pattering and bouncing against the tent.
Whether it was because the sound was crisp and clear, as if dancing in one's brain, or because he had something on his mind and was in a bad mood, Liu Lang lay on the bed for a while, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. In his drowsy state, he thought he heard a strange noise. At first, it was very faint and hard to detect, but it gradually became clearer and clearer. Liu Lang suddenly realized that it seemed to be the sound of army footsteps.
He hurriedly got up from his bed, threw on a robe, and went out of the camp to look out. He saw the Qi army launching a night attack by setting fire to the Han army camp arrayed below the mountain, and then engaging in fierce fighting with the Han soldiers on night watch. The sounds of battle from the distant battlefield were deafening, and the Han soldiers, who were still asleep, were all awakened and dressed to see what was happening.
At this moment, Du Zeng also came out. While tying his belt, he greeted Liu Lang and looked down the mountain, clicking his tongue in approval: "Ha, it seems that it's not just our army that wants to launch a night attack! The Qi traitors and our army have the same idea, and they even beat us to it!"
That's how war is; it's not just one side that wants to act, but the enemy does too. The Han generals simply hadn't anticipated the Qi army's audacity. After their initial defeat, they retreated, but instead of employing a flanking maneuver, they launched a frontal attack on the Han camp. Even a night raid like this was commendable.
"Your Highness, what should we do?" His attendant, Lai Guang, also came out, but it was clear that he was still dazed and not fully awake.
Before Liu Lang could answer, Du Zeng spoke up with a laugh: "Ha, military merit delivered to our doorstep, why not take it? How can we act like children and sit idly by on the mountain? Your Highness, let's immediately reorganize our troops and attack from the flank, taking advantage of our superior position. Wouldn't that be like catching a dog and killing a chicken!"
These words pleased Liu Lang greatly. He nodded and smiled, "Good. With General Du here, it's a good opportunity to teach that Qi traitor a lesson." (End of Chapter)